Category: Range

On the range

Comments Invited on Scope of Rock Springs Gather Plan

BLM announced yesterday the opening of a thirty day comment period on a the scope of a proposed plan for managing wild horses on five HMAs in the Wyoming Checkerboard, a patchwork quilt of public and private lands along the I-80 corridor in southern part of the state.

Affected HMAs include Adobe Town, Divide Basin, Little Colorado, Salt Wells Creek and White Mountain, home of the Pilot Butte Wild Horse Scenic Tour.

Rock Springs HMA Map-1

Public comments are the first step in preparing an Environmental Assessment for a proposed action, according to the scoping statement.

Roundups in this area are driven by the infamous Rock Springs consent decree, a court order resulting from legal action by the Rock Springs Grazing Association.

The scoping documents include maps of the HMAs but do not provide any information on domestic livestock grazing, such as the number and size of the allotments, permitted AUMs and grazing seasons.  Those figures will likely appear in the draft EA.

Seaman Roundup Delayed

BLM said today that the gather was suspended due to weather conditions that allowed the mustangs to move to higher elevations, evading capture.

As of yesterday, 294 excess horses had been removed from their home range, with nine deaths and no animals returned.

The operation will resume in January, according to the news release, when the horses are expected to return to the valleys.

RELATED: Seaman Range and White River Herds to Be Downsized.

‘Path Forward’ Opponents Gather at National Mall

Animal Wellness Action, a lobbying group in Washington D.C., said today that wild horse advocates met at the U.S. Capital on Saturday to protest the ill-conceived management plan for wild horses and burros.

They said the Marr Plan was a better option, according to the news release.

Marr Plan-1

The proposal calls for the removal of livestock from public lands—not all, just some—but it’s a step in the right direction.

RELATED: Outside the Box.

BLM Relocation Moves Ahead

BLM said yesterday that 159 employees now in Washington, D.C. were notified of their reassignment to offices in the western U.S., with 40 of those jobs moving to the new headquarters in Grand Junction, CO.

Affected personnel have 30 days to accept.  Individuals who decide to relocate will receive an incentive equal to 25% of base pay, according to the news release.

RELATED: BLM Picks New Headquarters.

Challis Roundup Ends

BLM said today that 295 wild horses had been gathered from the HMA, taking the herd from 429 animals to 134.  No deaths were reported and the number of horses to be returned has yet to be determined.  The post-gather population target is 185.

Captured mares will be treated with contraceptives before being returned to their home range, according to the news release, and the sex ratio of the herd will be altered to slow population growth.

The gather stats included 14 geldings and 43 foals.  After deducting the geldings from the total, the youngsters accounted for 15% of the horses captured.

RELATED: Challis Wild Horses to Experience ‘Thriving Ecological Balance.’

Echo Bluff Horses Lose Freedom Because of Stupid Humans

This story was in the news a few days ago but was passed over because the original site was fouled with ads and tracking software.

But this syndicated version by Fox News of St. Louis is readable.

Visitors to the park had been feeding the animals and they became a bit too friendly, so they were removed and put up for adoption.

Hand feeding is one of the best ways to make a horse pushy and disrespectful.

RELATED: Wild Horses in Missouri?, Echo Bluff Horses Featured in Kid’s Section of Washington Post.